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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26847034">Caught in The Grey</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarlettBond/pseuds/mattiebluebird'>mattiebluebird (ScarlettBond)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Death Note (Anime &amp; Manga), I'm the Grim Reaper (Webcomic)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Angels &amp; Demons, Angels, Canon-Typical Violence, Crack Treated Seriously, Crack-ish, Crossover, Demons, Gen, Grim Reapers, Major Original Character(s), Nonbinary Character, Original Character-centric, Overpowered OC Bothers Main Characters: The Book, haven't finished the show so forgive my inaccuracies</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 16:11:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,839</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26847034</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarlettBond/pseuds/mattiebluebird</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Because I’m Kira,” he says, and smiles.</p><p>Grey’s heart stops.</p><p>There’s a moment of silence. Then another. Then another.</p><p>Light’s smirk starts to fade.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Grey says, genuinely apologetic. “Was that supposed to do something?”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>No Romantic Relationship(s), Yagami Light &amp; Original Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Immortal Murderer Meets Boy Who Wants to Kill All Murderers, More at 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Title is from "Caught in The Grey" by Icon For Hire.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>—And then they’re falling.</p><p>They don’t know where they are but it’s dark and it’s cold and they’re <em> falling</em>.</p><p>Then they hit the ground and the world turns red.</p><hr/><p>There’s a man on a throne of blood and bones and he makes them an offer.</p><p>An eternity in the Ninth Circle of Hell—</p><p>(it’s dark and it’s cold and there’s nothing, nothing. they’re not falling because there’s nowhere to fall, they’re not floating because there’s nowhere to float and there’s nothing, <em> nothing</em>, nothingnothingnothingthey’reallalone—)</p><p>—or become a Grim Reaper and kill one person (one <em> sinner</em>) a day.</p><p>It’s not much of a choice.</p><p>They accept and their world is filled with fire.</p><hr/><p>There’s a man—young, maybe even younger than them—with a cracked silver halo floating above his head—</p><p>(<em>“People are born with golden halos. Every time they commit a sin, it chips or cracks. If it gets damaged enough, it turns silver. Those are the people you kill.” Satan smiles, mouth all fangs and nightmares. “You can’t miss ‘em!”</em>)</p><p>—and he asks them if they’re okay. They say yes, of course, because they can’t even <em> begin </em>to get into it—except they can, apparently, because they blurt, “My boss gave me a shit ton of work and an impossible deadline.”</p><p>The man nods, silver halo bobbing and it’s absolutely <em> broken</em>, like someone took a hammer and smashed it (<em>every time they commit a sin—</em>). “My boss is the same way,” he says, voice kind and sympathetic.</p><p>The man mentions he’s going to a cafe just a few blocks away and asks if they want to go with him. They say yes, trying not to stare at the spot just above his head (<em>if it gets damaged enough, it turns silver-</em>).</p><p>At the cafe, they realize they have no money, and the man smiles and says he’ll pay for them. They try to refuse, just to be polite, but the man waves them off, saying it’s just a coffee.</p><p>The man’s name is Suzuki (“But you can call me Hanzou if you like!”), and eventually he asks, “So, what’s your name?”</p><p>That makes them pause. They can’t remember. Can’t remember anything from before they died, actually, which they’re beginning to realize may be a problem.</p><p>
  <em> Halo? Silver? That’s a name, right? No, I don’t think so. Uhhh… silver silver silver—</em>
</p><p>“Grey!” They blurt. “My name is Grey.”</p><p>“Grey? Sounds Western,” Hanzou notes.</p><p>“My dad was American,” they say, taking a sip of coffee to distract him from how much they’re sweating.</p><p>“Was?”</p><p><em> Oh, fuck</em>. “He, uh, died last month,” they lie. “Heart attack.”</p><p>Hanzou’s face changes to something almost… scared. “Was it Kira?”</p><p>They blink. “What?”</p><p>“Oh my gosh, sorry!” Hanzou holds out his hands. “I didn’t mean to imply your father was a criminal or anything.”</p><p>They blink again, making a mental note to Google this “Kira” thing later. “It’s fine,” they say. “It wasn’t… Kira.”</p><p>Hanzou seems to accept this. Hmm. Interesting. “I’m sorry for your loss,” he says, tone filled with what seems like genuine remorse.</p><p><em> This guy is so nice, </em> Grey thinks. <em> Almost </em> too <em> nice. </em></p><p>Hanzou finishes his coffee and as they get ready to part ways, Grey accidentally mentions they don’t have a place to stay for the night. Then they have to bullshit a sob story of how their father’s hospital bills put them in debt and they’ve been evicted from their apartment and oh won’t you help them, please?</p><p>Hanzou—poor, naive, trusting Hanzou—eagerly offers to let them sleep on his couch (<em>way too nice</em>, Grey thinks).</p><p>They accept.</p><hr/><p>“What time is it?” Grey asks as the two walk down a mostly deserted street.</p><p>Hanzou glances at his phone. “It’s about 11:50.”</p><p>Grey jolts. <em> Ten minutes to midnight</em>, something in their mind whispers.</p><p>Hanzou looks back at them, broken halo illuminating the rain-shiny pavement (<em>those are the people you kill</em>). “You got somewhere to be?” He asks.</p><p><em>One sinner a day. There’s no time to find another</em>, the whispers continue. <em> It has to be him. </em></p><p>“Yes,” they say, grabbing Hanzou by the arm and pulling him into an alleyway, “I do.”</p><hr/><p>In the alleyway, Grey summons a pitch black scythe with glowing silver symbols carved into it from top to bottom (they can’t understand the symbols, but they understand the power and malevolence they radiate well enough).</p><p>Hanzou stumbles back, begging, pleading, <em> screaming—</em></p><p>(there’s a moment where they wonder if they should do this. if they <em> can </em>do this.</p><p>then they think of nothing, nothing, nothing for all of time, until long after the sun runs out, until they forget what life and love and happiness is, until everything is nothingnothing<em>nothing</em>andthey’reallalone.</p><p>they make their choice.)</p><p>The scythe swings down.</p><hr/><p>Hanzou isn’t as innocent as he seems. In fact, his name isn’t even Hanzou.</p><p>His name is Akihito Hayashi, and he’s a serial killer who lures unsuspecting women in with his charm, then rapes and murders them. He’d planned for Grey to be the next in a long line of victims.</p><p>He gets sent to the sixth level to drown for eternity, weighed down by his sins.</p><p>“If he killed over a dozen people and only got sent to the sixth level,” Grey says, voice and hands shaking. “Then what the hell did <em> I </em> do?”</p><p>Satan smiles. “Telling you would just spoil all the fun, wouldn’t it?”</p><hr/><p>Grey stumbles out of the alleyway stinking of blood and rain, only to crash headfirst into-</p><p>A gun. The barrel of a gun, to be precise, pointing directly at their forehead.</p><p>Fuck.</p><p>(“Right now, you’re just a soul,” Satan said. “Your body is somewhere else, probably rotting in a ditch. Of course, as Satan, I have the power to make you a new body. Any requests?”</p><p>Grey shrugged. “Androgynous?”</p><p>Satan snapped his fingers. Not much changed, really, except their head suddenly felt slightly… heavier. <em> Wait—</em> “Are these <em> horns</em>?” They said incredulously, reaching up to poke at the short, sharp protrusions.</p><p>“Yes. Now, as a Grim Reaper, you can’t exactly <em> die</em>,” Satan said. “But your body can still be damaged, and you heal at about the normal rate for a human. So if you’re damaged beyond the point of working, you’ll— are you even <em> listening</em>?!”</p><p>“Uh-huh,” they said, now poking at what were most definitely fangs. <em> Awesome… but impractical. How am I supposed to hide this? </em> “I can’t die, but I can be injured, and I don’t heal fast so if I’m damaged too badly I’ll miss my quota and be sent to the Ninth Circle.” They give Satan a thumbs up. “Got it.”)</p><p>
  <em> A bullet to the head wouldn’t make it impossible to move… but it would definitely be suspicious if I just got up and walked away after being shot. And his halo is pure gold, barely even chipped, so killing him is out of the question. </em>
</p><p>Grey puts their hands in the air.</p><p>The man looks at the alleyway behind them. “Where’s the man you were with?”</p><p>Grey starts sweating again. <em> Oh, fuck. So I may </em> have <em> to kill him</em>. “He left,” they lie. He didn’t. His body is in a dumpster at the back of the alley.</p><p>“Why do you smell like blood?”</p><p>“...That guy attacked me,” they say matter-of-fact. “I stabbed him and he ran off. Like a coward.”</p><p>There’s a moment of tense silence in which Grey furiously debates the pros and cons of killing a non-sinner (an exceptionally good non-sinner, considering most people’s halos were far more chipped than this man’s, even the gold ones) before the man sighs and lowers his gun.</p><p><em> Holy shit</em>, Grey thinks. <em> He fell for that? </em></p><p>“Sorry,” he says. “I’m a police officer.” He reaches into his jacket and pulls out his wallet, displaying what is, to the best of their (extremely limited) knowledge, a genuine police badge. “Takuya Matsui,” he introduces.</p><p>Grey lowers their guard and sends a silent thanks to the powers that be that they won’t have to commit <em> another </em> murder tonight. "I’m Grey,” they say.</p><p>“Last name?”</p><p><em> Oh, fuck</em>. Last name. They haven’t thought about that.</p><p>“Why do you need to know?” They stall. <em> Suzuki? Would it be weird to use the fake last name of the guy I just killed? </em></p><p>“I was just being polite,” Matsui says, then tilts his head. “If that man attacked you, you should go down to the station to file a report.”</p><p>“Is that really necessary?” Grey pulls their cloak in tighter, burying their mouth in their dark gray scarf to hide their pointed teeth. “I just want to go home…”</p><p>Matsui places his hand on their shoulder in what they assume is supposed to be a reassuring gesture. “And you will,” he promises. “But first, if you could just come with me…”</p><p>He leads them away.</p><hr/><p>At the police station, there’s a person. Man. Boy. Whatever.</p><p>Matsui stops to talk to him for a moment, and usually Grey wouldn’t give two fucks (they weren’t lying when they said all they wanted to do was go home) but this person (man. boy. whatever), their halo-</p><p>Well, for one it’s <em> shattered</em>, even more so than Hanzou/Akihito’s had been, nothing but a few shards held together by ebony smoke. For another it’s black- <em> vantablack</em>, the kind that’s so dark it sucks the color out of everything near.</p><p><em> This is... unprecedented</em>, they thought, as the man (who can’t be older than twenty one) turns to look at them. His eyes seem to shift, one moment brown, the next dark russet, the next blood red. The effect is nauseating and deeply, instinctively, <em> viscerally </em> unsettling for reasons they can’t quite put their finger on.</p><p>“She was attacked by a man,” Matsui explains. “She stabbed him -in self-defense- and he ran off.”</p><p>“Really?” The boyman<em>demon </em> glances at them. Grey considers actually summoning their scythe, or at least running, just- <em> getting rid of him</em>, then looks around at all the cops with holsters strapped to their belts and thinks better of it.</p><p>“Can you stay with her while I go get the forms?” Matsui asks.</p><p>The demon (and that’s what he <em> must </em> be, there’s no other explanation for this bone-deep fear they’d only felt when speaking to Satan himself) smiles. “No problem,” he says.</p><p>Then Matsui leaves.</p><p>And Grey is alone.</p><p>With the demon.</p><p>“I’m Light Yagami,” the demon says, voice sickeningly polite.</p><p>“...Grey,” they say, voice a raspy whisper. “Suzuki.”</p><p>“You’re shaking,” Light notes. “Do you want to sit down?”</p><p>They nod, far past words at this point, and twist away from the demon’s hand when he reaches out to steady them. When they sit, Light (<em>What an ironic name</em>, they think. <em> His halo is the </em> opposite <em> of light.</em>) just stares at them with his creepy red-brown eyes that seem both piercing and distant.</p><p>Grey is sweating again.</p><p>“It’s strange,” Light says. Grey is caught between relief (they hate awkward silence, they hate it so much) and disappointment (the less said between them, the better). “Most people aren’t able to run away after you stab them.”</p><p>“You sound like you speak from personal experience,” Grey observes.</p><p>Light laughs. The sound sends goosebumps racing up and down their arms. “No, of course not! It’s just common sense. They go into shock, or fall down… but you say he ran away?”</p><p>“Well, I only stabbed him in the arm.”</p><p>“Where’s the blood?”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“There’s no blood on your clothes,” Light says matter-of-factly. “But you smell like it. So there must’ve been a lot. More than would come from a stab to the arm.”</p><p>(there was a lot of blood, enough that it’d nearly run out of the alley, but Light didn’t need to know that)</p><p>Grey blinks. “What are you, a cop?” They say, hoping they come off as joking and not as defensive.</p><p>Light smiles. “Not yet,” he says, “But I hope to be.”</p><p>Before Grey can respond, Matsui comes back and Grey is busy filling out paperwork, desperately hoping they can escape before the cops run the name through a computer and find out it doesn’t exist. They give the paperwork to the man at the front desk and prepare to leave-</p><p>Except, of course, Light stops them. “I’ll walk you home,” he says, oh-so-polite. Matsui beams, apparently proud of the demonboy, and Grey’s protests are firmly ignored.</p><p>Typical.</p><hr/><p>It’s a quiet night. Light keeps checking his watch, again and again, every few seconds.</p><p>“You have somewhere to be?” Grey asks, painfully aware of whose words they’re mirroring.</p><p>“You know,” Light says. “For a murderer, you’re not a very good liar.”</p><p>Grey stops. Light stops.</p><p>“What?” They say and their voice is far too high-</p><p>“I know you killed that man,” he continues, voice as pleasant as if they were talking about the weather. “There’s blood on the bottom of your boots. I’m surprised you didn’t notice.” He tilts his head. “Did he really attack you or was that just a lie?”</p><p>“He did attack me,” they said. Then, against their will: “Or was going to.”</p><p>Light raises an eyebrow. “So you would’ve killed him anyway?”</p><p>Again, against their will: “I don’t know. Probably.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p><em> Don’t say it don’t say it don’t say it</em>- “Because I have to.” Then they slap their hands over their mouth. <em> What the fuck?! I didn’t mean to say that! Is he- </em> can <em> he..? </em></p><p>Light’s face morphs into an expression of disgust. “You’re <em> sick</em>,” he spits, and Grey thinks that’s pretty rich coming from the person whose halo is nearly <em> gone</em>. “Exactly the kind of person I despise. And you’ll get what’s coming to you.” He leans in, far, <em> far </em>too close for comfort, and Grey sees his eyes flash bright red (all of them, not just the iris).</p><p>“Because I’m Kira,” he says, and smiles.</p><p>Grey’s heart stops.</p><p>There’s a moment of silence. Then another. Then another.</p><p>Light’s smirk starts to fade.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Grey says, genuinely apologetic. “Was that supposed to do something?”</p><p>“But-” Light sputters. “Grey Suzuki <em> is </em>your real name, isn’t it?”</p><p>Grey shrugs. “I dunno. Maybe.”</p><p>Another moment of awkward silence in which Light seems to be questioning his entire existence.</p><p>“Well.” They take a step away. “I have to go. I have… things to do.” They turn and walk away, determined to get away from the demonboy and his freaky mind and/or death powers.</p><p>Or, well, <em> try </em> to.</p><p>They hear Light whisper, “Ryuk, why are you laughing, you <em> said </em>writing her name in the Death Note would work-” and then the sound of footsteps as Light runs after them. Grey turns just to see his shell-shocked expression.</p><p>“But-” He sputters, arms waving in the greatest gesture of <em> ‘what the FUCK?’ </em> Grey has ever had the honor of seeing.  “<em>What? </em>”</p><p>“No idea, man.”</p><p>“Then why-” He stops and gives them a considering look, <em> really </em> looking at them for the first time that night. They’re not overly fond of the feeling. “What do you know?”</p><p>“Absolutely nothing,” Grey admits. “Except that you just tried to kill me, and it didn’t work. And you’re Kira, whatever that means.”</p><p>Light appears to be having a mild panic attack. “‘Whatever that mea’- <em> do you not know what Kira is</em>?”</p><p>“I know <em> who </em> he is.” Grey smiles again. “You know,” they say mockingly, “For a murderer, you’re not very smart.”</p><p>They turn and walk away.</p><p>Again: <em> try </em> to.</p><p>“So you know I’m Kira and you aren’t turning me in?”</p><p>“That’s correct.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>Grey stops and looks at him (more specifically at the space above his head). “Reasons.”</p><p>They can see Light grinding his teeth. Good. “Where are you staying?” He asks, voice more level than they'd expected. “I can still walk you home.”</p><p>“Don’t have one, and even if I did I wouldn’t let you walk me there right after you just tried to kill me. In fact-” They glance at his halo again. No, they can’t kill him. For one thing, they’ve already met their quota, and for another, they have no idea what a black halo means. What if it’s a sign that Light is a demon, and Satan would be mad if Grey killed him?</p><p>Grey shudders. They do <em> not </em> want to make Satan mad.</p><p>“That’s the tenth time you’ve looked above my head,” Light observes with narrowed eyes. “What is it? What can you see that I don’t?”</p><p>Grey stays silent.</p><p>“...You said you don’t have a place to sleep?” Light says. “You can stay at my place tonight, and tomorrow we can find you an apartment.”</p><p>“Again, right after you just tried to kill me?” Grey says. “How do I know you won’t just murder me in my sleep?”</p><p>“Clearly, attempting to kill you would be pointless,” Light says, gesturing to the vague area of their chest. Their heart is still stopped. They’ll have to ask Satan to fix it.</p><p>“Hmm.” Grey squints at him. “Aren’t you a bit… young? Late teens, maybe? Won’t your parents object?”</p><p>Light waves a hand. “I’ll weave some sob story about you being a poor traumatized soul in need of a safe place for the night. They’re good people, they won’t mind.”</p><p>“That’s awfully kind of you.” Grey tilts their head. “What do you get out of it?”</p><p>“I get to keep an eye on you.”</p><p>They take a moment to think. <em> Pros: a bed for the night, finding out why Light’s halo is so weird, possible internet access so I can Google this Kira thing (or just ask Light, since he </em> is <em> Kira), also find out how Kira/Light kills since that seems like a mega-useful power and I want it. Cons: spending the night with the person who just tried to kill me, spending the night with a horrifying demonboy straight from the depths of hell. </em></p><p>“My mother makes very good katsudon,” Light adds.</p><p>“I’m in.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. It’s a Lovely Day in Japan And You Are a Horrible Reaper</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>
  <em>“Welcome to the New World. A world where justice is swift and fair. A world where Kira is God.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p><em>God?</em> Grey thinks. Leans back. (“These things are decided by human morals, not my own.”)</p><p> </p><p>  <em>Interesting.</em></p><p> </p><p>(or: Grey gets a few answers, a lot of questions, concocts the beginnings of a plan, makes a deal, and touches the Death Note.)</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>betcha thought I wasn't gonna update</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Demonboy was right: his parents are good people, and his mother makes very good katsudon.</p><p>Afterward, Light locks Grey in his room and just kind of… <em> stares at them</em>. It's very unsettling.</p><p>"<em>Soooo</em>," Grey says when the silence stretches on a little too long. “You wanted to ask me something?"</p><p>“How are you still alive?”</p><p>“Street smarts,” they say with a straight face. “Immortality helps, too.”</p><p>“You’re immortal?”</p><p>“Yes.” They pause, then add, “With a few exceptions.”</p><p>“Like what?”</p><p>They smirk. “Wouldn’t you like to know, demon boy?”</p><p>His teeth are grinding again. They feel proud. “Why did you kill that man?” He demands.</p><p>Grey’s smirk falls and they don’t feel so proud anymore. “He was a serial killer and a rapist,” they say bluntly. “If I were a normal human, he would’ve killed me.”</p><p>“You’re saying you killed him in self-defense?”</p><p>They wince. “Not <em> exactly</em>..?”</p><p>“Then why?”</p><p>“...I can’t tell you.”</p><p>“When you said you ‘had’ to kill him, what did you mean?”</p><p>“Also one of the things I can’t tell you.”</p><p>Light’s teeth-grinding grows more intense. After a moment, he sighs. “Well…” He starts. “I suppose I can’t blame you for killing him. I would've done the same. Unless you’re lying.” He looks at them with narrowed eyes. “But from what I’ve seen, you’re a horrible liar, so I don’t think you are.”</p><p>“Awesome!” Grey claps their hands together. “So now you’ll answer my questions?”</p><p>“...Most of them.”</p><p>"What's Kira?" Grey asks, and just when they're beginning to think Light will pop a blood vessel—</p><p>“For the past few months, Kira has been ridding this world of its filth,” he says. “By killing criminals with heart attacks. And the fact that you don't know this, considering it's been on every news station, talk show, and magazine in the world, is incredibly suspicious. Even <em> more </em> suspicious is that you don't seem to care."</p><p>"It'd be pretty hypocritical of me if I did," they say simply, reaching up to touch their chest, where their heart lays still. It's a strange feeling. “So how does Kira—how do <em> you</em>—kill people with heart attacks?”</p><p>“That,” Light leans back and crosses his arms, “Is none of your business.” (“It quite literally is,” Grey mutters, and is promptly ignored.) “<em> However </em>,” he continues, “If you stop evading my questions, I may tell you.”</p><p>Grey sucks in a breath through their teeth. That <em> sounds </em>like a good deal in theory, but again: they had no idea what the black halo means, and Light didn’t seem like the type of person to be trusted with secrets.</p><p>"Give me until tomorrow," they say. "Then I might answer your questions." <em> That gives me time to ask Satan some questions of my own. </em></p><p>Another moment of silence in which Light stares at them. "...Fine," he finally concedes.</p><p>Grey smirks and holds out their hand. "Shake on it?"</p><p>Light scowls. "Absolutely not." Then, as Grey is leaving, "And go take a shower! You smell like blood."</p><hr/><p>(in the bathroom, Grey looks in a mirror for the first time since they died.</p><p>their halo is glowing scarlet and just as shattered as Light's.)</p><hr/><p>
  <em> It's a lovely day in Kanto and you are a horrible Reaper. </em>
</p><p>Grey snickers to themself as they crouch atop a building like some living gargoyle. Light was gone by the time they woke up that morning, so it was easy enough to slip out of the house undetected.</p><p>For most of the day, they’d been observing people and their halos. When someone told a white lie—and that happened surprisingly often—their halo got a small hairline fracture. When someone shoplifted, it chipped a little. Halos only turned silver when about 60-ish percent was damaged—therefore, only truly bad sinners had completely broken halos. Interestingly enough, babies didn't have halos at all. Grey doesn't know the exact age range, but if they had to guess they'd say the cut-off was two or three years old.</p><p>(they try not to think about what all that means for them, that their halo is almost as broken as a mass murderer’s.)</p><p>So no, Grey doesn't feel too bad about killing those with shattered halos. A little shaken, maybe, as damning someone to an eternity of torture is a big choice to make, but <em> bad</em>? No.</p><p>In their not-so-humble opinion, some people just deserve to burn in Hell.</p><p>The back entrance of the restaurant opens and a woman walks out, halo bright silver and almost as broken as Akihito's had been.</p><p>When Grey appears, scythe in hand, it's just like before—the woman begging, pleading, <em> screaming</em>—except this time they don't hesitate.</p><p>They smile and <em> swing</em>.</p><hr/><p>"She's going to Hell for stealing <em> food</em>?"</p><p>"Yep," Satan says, smirking and popping the ‘p’. Grey resists the urge to smack him. "Every day for nearly six years she took a shrimp or a sushi roll off of <em> every </em> plate she served, amounting to thousands of dollars in stolen goods! Pretty mundane if you ask me, but these things are decided by human morals, not my own." He snaps his fingers and suddenly a snail is in his hand. "Try to bring me a more interesting sinner next time."</p><p>He turns to the woman, demeanor instantly going from amused to terrifying. His eyes narrow and glint red as the demonboy’s. “You're damned to the Second Circle of Hell, an endless wasteland utterly devoid of life… except for this snail, which will hunt you day and night for all eternity."</p><p>"And if it catches me?" The woman (Aiko Okabe is her name, but they're trying to forget that) asks, voice and body shaking.</p><p>"Then you'll itch a lot." Satan waves a hand and both the woman and snail are gone. Then he turns to Grey with a pout on his face. "I hate the first two levels. They're practically limbo."</p><p>“Her halo was <em> shattered</em>,” Grey says. “From <em> that</em>?”</p><p>Satan shrugs. “Sins build up over time. A repeated small sin is as bad as one big one,” he says, voice as pleasant as if he hadn’t just sentenced someone to an eternity of loneliness just for sneaking food off of people’s plates. “But that’s not what’s important.” He smiles, all six of his wings flaring behind him. “Tell me about your first day on the job! You must have a lot of questions. If they’re not boring, maybe I’ll answer them.”</p><p><em> He’s Satan </em> , Grey reminds themself. <em> Of course he doesn’t care. You have to remember what you came for. </em></p><p>"Why is my halo red?" They asked.</p><p>"Ah, was wondering when you’d notice that. Grim Reapers and Archangels have red halos so they know not to kill each other," Satan says, then pauses. "Or so they can find each other more easily. Something like that."</p><p>"Archangels?"</p><p>"The opposite of Grim Reapers,” he explains. “If a human’s halo is 95-ish percent unbroken by the time they’re like, forty, sometimes an Archangel will take them.” He waves a hand. “That doesn’t happen too often, though, so I wouldn’t worry about it.”</p><p>“What does it mean if someone has a black halo?”</p><p>Satan stops, his eyes (all four of them) widen. “You saw someone with a black halo? Oooh, your day was more eventful than I thought!” He grins from ear-to-ear (literally. it’s a very unsettling sight) and claps his hands. “People with black halos are off-limits to both Grim Reapers and Archangels.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Their soul is claimed by someone else.”</p><p>“Like who?”</p><p>“I can’t just tell you <em> everything</em>, can I?” He looks at a non-existent watch. “Oh, look at the time, I think that’s enough for today—”</p><p>—And Grey is in an alleyway, left with more questions than answers.</p><hr/><p>Grey goes to the library and Googles Kira, reads about the type of people he kills (discovers that they can see people’s halos in pictures).</p><p>Robbers. Murderers. Rapists.</p><p>(<em>s</em><em>inners.</em>)</p><p>FBI agents.</p><p>(<em>i</em><em>nnocents.</em>)</p><p>A death toll that’s rapidly climbing into the quadruple digits.</p><p>(<em>b</em><em>ut he’s never killed a petty thief.</em>)</p><p>All of it in just five months.</p><p>
  <em> “Welcome to the New World. A world where justice is swift and fair. A world where Kira is God.” </em>
</p><p><em> God? </em> Grey thinks. Leans back. (“These things are decided by human morals, not my own.”)</p><p><em> Interesting</em>.</p><hr/><p>“There you are,” Light says, sliding open his window. “I was beginning to think you ran away.”</p><p>(this is a lie. Light put trackers in all of the clothes he let them borrow. Grey is unsure if Light genuinely believes he’s that slick or if he just thinks they’re an idiot. most likely both.)</p><p>“I’m the Grim Reaper,” Grey says, crouching on his roof. “I can see golden halos over everyone’s head. Each time they commit a sin, it cracks, and if it cracks enough it turns silver. My job is to kill one of those people every day. However—” Here, they sigh deeply. “It’s impossible to tell the severity of someone’s sin just by looking at their halo. I think you could help me with that.”</p><p>Grey lean forward to rest their hands on the windowsill, looking Light directly in the eyes. “Knowing all of this, do you still want to keep me around?”</p><p>To their surprise, he <em> smiles</em>. “Oh, very much so.”</p><hr/><p>“You kill people with a <em> notebook</em>?”</p><p>“Death Note,” Light corrects. “And yes. All I have to do is write their name in it while picturing their face.”</p><p>“And you got this where?”</p><p>“It was given to me by a shinigami,” he says lightly (heh).</p><p>Grey is <em> so over </em> all these people talking about world-shattering stuff like it’s afternoon tea. “A <em> what? </em>”</p><p>“Shinigami. God of death. His name’s Ryuk,” Light says. “He can only be seen by those who’ve touched the Death Note.”</p><p>“Can I..?”</p><p>Light’s face twists, then after a moment he nods and holds the notebook out. “Go ahead.”</p><p>Quickly but cautiously, Grey reaches out and lays a single finger on the Death Note.</p><p>Their whole world is filled with pain.</p><p>Pain is a loose term for what they felt in that moment. <em>Agony</em> is a bit closer, but still not quite right. It's the spine-tingling shiver you get when something unsettling happens; the full-body revulsion you feel at seeing something truly sickening; the numbing, heart-thumping shock and adrenaline of something dangerous and utterly unexpected; the worst mental and emotional torture you've ever been through, all jammed into one moment and so intense it feels <em>soul</em> <em>deep</em>.</p><p>Grey recoils, crying for the first time they can remember, mind reeling and stomach churning. "Wh—" Another, fainter wave of pain rolls over them, making their voice choke on a sob. "You didn't tell me it'd <em> hurt</em>!" They scream.</p><p>"It's not supposed to," Light says, voice <em> infuriatingly </em> calm. He tilts his head and watches Grey as if they are a very odd animal.</p><p>Someone is laughing.</p><p>Who's laughing?</p><p>Their head snaps up. Their vision isn't blurry like they expected, but the lights seem brighter than they should be, and their head hurts with the phantom echoes of adrenaline-shock-horror.</p><p>Still, they're 90% sure they aren't hallucinating the giant, winged, grey skinned goth clown floating behind Light. It takes them an embarrassingly long moment of staring and crying and utter confusion before they connect the dots.</p><p>"Ryuk?"</p>
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